SPORT UNDER THE SIEGE. An overview In a complex situation, as the Palestinian one, we consider useful to dispose of new and different instruments of comprehension.

SPORT UNDER THE SIEGE

An overview

In a complex situation, as the Palestinian one, we consider useful to dispose of new and different instruments of comprehension.The devastating results of this cruel military occupation are evident, before everybody’s eyes. The wall of apartheid, the checkpoints and the settlements are the most obvious examples. Every day thousands and thousands of people fight against this feeling of injustice with the most efficient form of resistance:

Where living means finding the courage of playing sports even under the siege.

GOING ON LIVING!

Why a Sports Campaign in Palestine?

The campaign Sport under the siege was born from the passion for sport, football in particular, of two associations based in Milan, Jalla Onlus and Salah Onlus.

We made different travels in Palestine and we decided to do something to support the associations that practice sport in the occupied territories, in conditions of clear difficulty.

All the positive responses concerning this initiative, both in Palestine and in Italy, enabled the two leader associations, Jalla and Salah, to increase their efforts to accentuate intervention on sports cooperation.

An overview

Today, SPORT UNDER THE SIEGE is a heritage shared by many realities, very different among each other: organized fun club, associations, sports clubs, political collectives, and local municipalities. Each one with it’s own distinctive feature, but all of them ready to give strength to all the projects completed until now.

The initiatives of Sport under the siege - 2004

February Thanks to an appeal to Italian football supporter groups, sports clubs and political collectives, it was organized a fund-raising that allowed the Football Team of IBDAA Cultural Center, in Dehieshe, a refugee camp near Bethlehem,

to take part to the international event:

“Antiracist World Cup”in Montecchio, Italy from 7th to 11th July .

Awarding of IBDAA Football team with the Kilometres cup,

for the team arrived from farther away

The initiatives of Sport under the siege - 2005

March

Sport under the siege organized a sport caravan in the occupied territories. From March the 19th to the 28th, twenty militant football players met four different football teams in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

June

Twelve football players from the refugee camps visited during the previous caravan, made up a football team who was invited to take part to sports events around Italy. The “Refugee Camps of Palestine” is hosted in Rome, Macerata, Pisa, Perugia and Milan.

The initiatives of Sport under the siege - 2006

April

From the 15th to the 22nd, on the occasion of “SPORT UNDER SIEGE CUP”, 3 Italian teams, two male and a female one, (62 people overall), played in six small tournaments in refugee camps and villages around Palestine (West Bank and Gaza).

The biggest sports caravan ever organized in a country under military occupation.

June

In collaboration with the association “Altropallone”, in occasion of the sports event Altrimondiali, we contribute to organize a travel around Italy of a football team made by young people from Gaza Strip and Nazareth(territories of the '48).

Press conference with the Italian Minister of Sport (Mrs Giovanna Melandri) Rome, June 2006

Sport under the siege Summer Camps

Both summer camps was organized in Ibdaa center, located in Dehieshe refugee camp, near Bethlehem. The first, entitled to Maurizio Alberti, a supporter of Pisa Calcio dead in 1999 Seventy boys and girls between 12 and 16 years old, from the refugee camps of Dehieshe, Aidah, Fawwar, Alaroub and Alaza, spent several moments together practicing sports activities.

July 2006

The second summer camp involves seventy boys and girls from all the refugee camps in the south of the West Bank. It is realized thanks to the contribute of Domenico Marco Verdigi Onlus

The second summer camp involves seventy boys and girls from all the refugee camps in the south of the West Bank. It is realized thanks to the contribute of Domenico Marco Verdigi Onlus

The total population of the refugee camps is over 30,000 with more than 50% children under the age of 18. These children have very few opportunities to meet each other and to play and enjoy themselves.

August 2007

April

Sport under the siege caravan in the occupied territories: The first set of meetings and matches was organized in Gaza. The italian female team played against Al Aqsa University, and the male team played against Jabalia Youth Activities Center.The second set of meetings and matches was organized in Jerico, Nadi Baladna Sport Center. A three-days sports event was attended by tens of young sport people of both genders from 5 different areas of the West Bank. The final match was played in Old Jerusalem, at Burj al Luq Luq Youth Center

The initiatives of Sport under the siege - 2007

Academy of Peace promoted by the Province of Milan. The project was based on meetings and events organized with students of secondary schools (13 to 17 years old) around Milan.At the end of the cycle of meetings a mixed football team from the Middle East came to Milan (12 young people from Gaza Strip, Lebanum and Jerusalem).

April

November

To support the female sport, we invited in Italy, two Palestinian female teams.

The basket players of IBDAA Cultural Center in Dehieshe and the football players of Al Aqsa University in Gaza, were expected in several cities; just one of the two teams, the one from IBDAA played in Milano, Bergamo, Brescia, Pisa, Reggio Calabria and Roma

The presence in Italy of a female delegation represent a big challenge and an unusual occasion of cultural and social exchange for Italian and Palestinian girls.

For all these reasons the Italian Ministry of Young politics and Sport activities gave his adhesion to the initiative.

The initiatives of Sport under the siege - 2007

• Milano

• Bergamo

• Brescia

• Pisa

• Reggio Calabria

• Roma

The initiatives of Sport under the siege - 2007

The tour involved many cities, from the north to the south of Italy.

The girls from IBDAA cultural Center in Dheisheh refugee camp played in:

November

Al Aqsa University is my team!

These are the pictures of some of the Italian football teams, sports associations, secondary schools and universities who was awaiting the arrival of Al Aqsa University football team from Gaza.

The matches have not been played. Al Aqsa University Female team never arrived!

The seven Palestinian players from Al Aqsa University waited at the Erez border for the permission to reach Amman and than travel to Italy, but, despite of the regular procedures of coordination between the Italian and Israeli diplomatists and further requests of clarification on what happened, no explanation have been provided by the military authorities!

The promoter committee of the campaign "Sport under the Siege" announce to Al Aqsa University team that the matches will be played in Italy in the next future! Date to be defined

4th edition of Sport under the siege Cup - 2008March 23rd to 30th :

The football event, unique in its own way, involves 101 Italian football players, male and female, who are here in the West Bank and Gaza to play and to denounce!

The cities and the refugee camps of Gaza City, Jabalia camp, Khan Younis, Jayyus, Qalqilyah, Dehisheh camp, Abu Dis and Jerusalem will be the background of the football matches.

The presence of such sport caravan today, wants to bring forward the strong relationship we have with Palestinians, through sport, played with consciousness in those lands that are still scenarios of war, too many years of war.

We want also denounce what is happening: In front of such violence, nobody is able to react, leaving weapons to speak and act.

We want to underline the strong value of sport and the special meaning it has for young Palestinians and Italians who wish to reaffirm their confidence in a future of peace and justice here in the fields of refugee camps as well as in the fields of the suburbs of our cities.

We thank a lot all our Palestinian partners and Stop The Wall Campaign

Activities to support Palestine

Faundraising, social dinners, video projections, parties

Organization of debates at associations, municipalities, social and cultural centers

Partecipation to radio and local networks programmes

Articles on local and national newspapers

SPORT UNDER THE SIEGE

www.sportsottoassedio.it – [email protected]

Thousands of civil victims, the violation of human rights and international law, the continuous Israeli territorial

expansionism, the wall of apartheid, the checkpoints and the settlements are the most obvious examples of the crimes

made by Israel, under the indifference of international community!